The present invention relates to a retaining rail for the end-wise fastening of the inner roof covering or headliner in a motor vehicle, consisting of a U-shaped strip adapted to be slipped over a roof-side flange with a first lip protruding from one leg thereof and supported, covered by the ceiling material, at the padding of the roof covering, and with a second lip also covered by the ceiling material and fixing the same.
Such a fastening arrangement for the ceiling material or headliner in which both lips protrude from the same leg of the strip and the ceiling material is fixed by clamping action, is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,526. It is disadvantageous that the clamping action may be lessened, for example, by local stressing of the ceiling material or by heat influence and folds may form which must be eliminated by a relatively costly after-stretching operation. As the retaining rail is located in close proximity to windowpanes and door cut-outs, the clamping place can be seen and reduces the overall appearance of the vehicle.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to so construct the retaining rail that even in case of local over-stressing of the ceiling material or headliner, the connection between the latter and the retaining rail does not suffer. Furthermore, a pre-assembly is to be attained in conjunction with a simultaneous improvement of the appearance within the connecting area so that the fastening operation, properly speaking, becomes quite simple.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that the lip is formed at the leg of the strip opposite the ceiling distention and is operatively connected with the same by way of a film hinge, in that the ceiling material is welded onto the lip and in that the latter together with the ceiling material is bent off within the area of the film hinge and is displaced into the flange-receiving opening.
According to a further advantageous feature of the present invention, the one leg includes an inclined butting surface extending rising toward the flange-receiving opening with a detent recess adjoining the same, at which the lip which is guided around, the same is supported by way of the ceiling material in the pre-assembled condition.